Emily Wolfe

Wolfe’s sophomore effort, Outlier, is a fantastic album full of fuzzed out rock songs under the guise of synthy pop. Michael Shuman (best known for his work as the bassist for Queens of the Stone Age) is on deck this time around as producer and manages to inject a QOTSA Villains era vibe into the project. But whereas many songs tended to fall flat on Villains, the rock meets pop formula works quite nicely for Wolfe. The feeling of blurring genres feels genuine and is elevated not only by Wolfe’s blistering guitar work but also by her vulnerability and honesty as a vocalist. She effortlessly floats between playing guitar lines that would make Josh Homme blush like in “Cover of Virtue” and sings a soaring chorus reminiscent of Tegan & Sara in “My Lungs Give Out”. Outlier lives up to its name by not being easily pinned down and wonderfully manages to go against the grain. While many pop stars try to cross over into the rock world, they could never even come close to the authenticity you’ll find here on Outlier.

Review by: Chris Fitzgerald